NOV 40 
739 
one of the fair-sized clusters, and also of one 
of the largest, and to give me all the particu¬ 
lars of it* origin. 
In the Spring of 1851 the Concord was de¬ 
scribed in the Magazine of Horticulture, with 
a copy of the lithograph of the smaller cluster 
of grapes. I looked for a favorable notice of 
such a remarkable grape, and was never more 
disappointed to find a universal depreciation 
of it. There was only one cultivator, the late 
Hon. Joseph Break, who was even more en¬ 
thusiastic in its praise than myself, who spoke 
of it (I quote his own language) as follows : 
“On two vines Mr. Bull has more than sixty 
large bunches each, some of them measuring 
1% inches long by inches at the shoul¬ 
der. You could not get. them upon a page of 
the Horticulturist at the present t ime. I have 
no bunches ou my Black Hamburg in the cold 
house so large and handsome as I saw on the 
Concord vine. I consider the Concord one bold 
stride towards a grand triumph in the im¬ 
provement that will be made in our native 
grapes,’ ” 
What was the result ? Every cultivator 
around Boston denounced it. Mr. Barry, who 
then edited the Horticulturist, thus spoke of it: 
“This famous grape is one of the leading topics 
of the times in the horticultural world. We 
liud various opinions in regard to it even 
amoug Boston gentlemen who have seen it 
from its first appearance. We have, during 
the last few weeks, received several letters on 
the subject. One says, ‘ Those who purchase 
the Concord Crape, with the expectation that 
it will equal in size the cut that appeal*in the 
Magazine of Horticulture, or in meat, the 
terms used in the advertisement, will be great¬ 
ly disappointed. The grape either in bunch or 
berry is not by mu--third as large as pictured: 
nor is t he grape generally commended here.' 
Another says, * Tne best judges have never 
considered it more than a grape for pre¬ 
serves, 
Pretty good, wasn’t it i The people have 
shown that they like jellies, even when done 
up in the shape of a cluster of grapes. This 
was written in 1854, The bunch figured, which 
was so big that nobody would ever see a real 
bunch so large by one-third , weighed just one 
pound. Almost every year since that date 
clusters have been exhibited weighing from 20 
to 21 ounces each, and thlsyear a grape grown 
in Concord, Mass., has produced bunches 
weighing 2'* pounds each, and only last Sat¬ 
urday (October ti), a silver medal was award¬ 
ed by the Massachusetts Horticultural Society 
for the finest lob of Concords ever seen. Most 
of those Boston gentlemen have passed away, 
but l trust that those w T ho are still alive are 
heartily ashamed of the opinions they gratuit¬ 
ously offered to Mr. Barry, which he fully in¬ 
dorsed. 
As a matter of history, I quote Mr. Barry’s 
remarks. After alluding to the grape, he said, 
“This is Mr. liovey's aim clearly enough, and 
he should be ashamed of it—ashamed to ar¬ 
raign any man who will not indorse his exag¬ 
gerated description of this fruit, as a jealous 
enemy to it and to its oncinator. If he was 
not as blind as a bat (made so by selfishness), 
he would see that such a course must lower 
hi ii iu the estimation of candid, intelligent 
men 
This is gentlemanly language, and I hope at 
this dav. iu the light of the “ exaggerated de¬ 
scription" he talked about of a grape which 
the million has pronounced uuequaled, he re¬ 
grets he ever penned it. 
The Country Gentleman spoke well of it, 
aud the Americau Agriculturist also; but Bos¬ 
ton derided it. Even a motion made at the 
Pomologicnl Convention held in Boston iu 
1854, to discuss it, was voted dow n. Jt was 
passed over. 
I have eaten of all the best foreign grapes, 
raised both here aud iu England, where, it will 
not he denied, they do know how to produce 
fine grapes. It was at Chatsworth that Sir 
Joseph Paxton cut me a hunch of the best 
Cannon Hall, as he passed through the Muscat 
House; aud it was at Dalkeith that Mr. Mack¬ 
intosh hunded me the best bunch of Muscat of 
Alexandria; not a green Muscat, but one with 
that golden tinge which no other grape pos¬ 
sesses. I have strolled through the vineyards 
around Pans and plucked the grapes from the 
endless fields, stretching as far as the eye could 
see, aud I have with natural prejudice reject¬ 
ed the American grapes as plebeian and in¬ 
ferior products, produced without the expense 
of grape houses, aud the apparatus aud fuel to 
raise them. There w as some show of reason 
iu this with sour Isabilas and Fox Grapes, 
But now 1 sit down to a feast of really ripe, 
jet-black Concords, smothered iu that azure 
bloom that no foreign grape can claim, with a 
relish that no grape hut the Muscat of Alexan¬ 
dria would give. I think there is seal cely a 
foreign grape equal iu delicacy and rieliness 
to the Brighton, but it lacks the size and 
beauty of the Concord, aud as half of the en¬ 
joyment is iu the looks, the Concord, with its 
huge bunches, and great, perfectly globular 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER.' 
Bagging Grapes.—Moore’s Early. 
—Acting under the Rural’s instruc¬ 
tions, I bagged <500 bunches, embracing 
30 varieties of grapes. The difference 
was so marked in comparison with the 
ex post'd bunches that I hope to bag 
1,000 bunches next year, for iD spite of 
severe frosts the quality of the grapes 
holds good at this date within the bags 
upon the vines, aud the grapes would 
have been lost or ruined without their 
paper covering. Moore’s Early has 
fruited three years with me aud my 
experience with it permits me to con- 
linn the claims for excellent quality 
made by its originators. It ripened its 
larger fruit fully two weeks earlier 
than the Concord, growing near it. 
Rosselle, N. J. G. w. r. 
Some Grapes. —The Champion Grape 
was ripe September 21. With age the 
vine improves in production, and the 
fruit in quality. Worden colored fine¬ 
ly, hearing large hunches. Concord 
was late ; didn’t ripen this season. Rog¬ 
ers's No. 4. 15 and Salem mildewed 
badly; the vinos were defoliated by 
the middle of September. They were, 
however, loaded with large clusters of 
fruit, which shriveled and dried on the 
vines in an unripe condition. Five-year-old 
vim* of the Brighton were thrifty, but showed 
nofruit. Young vines of the Prentiss, Moore's 
Early, Lady and White Ann Arbor showed 
vigorous growth. c. P. 
Beaver Dam, Wis. 
Grape Notes from Canada. 
Champion was ripe on loth of Seutei 
Moore's Early ilo. 15th do. 
Delaware, rlpeuiun loth do. 
Adlromlae ripe 15th do 
Brlghtou, rlpeulnK loth do. 
Oottaite uo. 10th do. 
Perkins do. 10th do. 
Concord do. t.Sth do. 
Agawam.stem ripening, hut berries still 
green. 
The leaves of all varieties were scorched by 
the frosts of 0th and 10th of September; and 
ten per cent, of the fruit of the latest ripening 
varieties was spoiled. R. Lanigan. 
County of Argentoull, Province of Quebec. 
[Such reports are valuable.— Eds.] 
THE KIEFFER AND CHINESE PEARS. 
I am pleased to see that the Rural Nkw- 
Yorkkr is giving its readers a fair aud true 
account of the Kieffer Pear. The manner in 
which it has been and still is beiug puffed up 
Cottage Grape.—From Nature.—Fig. 074. 
year, and we use them for preserves and can¬ 
ning, for which purpose they are excellent. 
Of this variety I have also distributed grafts, 
aud it is now offered for sale by at least one 
nurseryman as “Garber's Hybrid.” I have 
seven of these hybrid Chinese Pears ; not one 
of them is eatable iu a raw state, unless it is 
the one called the “Japau Pear' 1 in York 
State, a specimen of which was sent me a year 
ago by C. Downing. This variety is really a 
fair ami good pear. I also have this variety 
growing, hut it has not yet fruited, 1 do not 
kuow the origin of this so-called Japan Pear, 
but my belief is that it is a cross of what 
Mr. Prince called the “ Pei-lior Chinese 
Snow Pear. 
All these varieties are remarkable for their 
large and thick leaves and their persistence in 
remaining on the trees till hard frosts take 
them off, except the La Coute, which drops 
its leaves early. All are valuable for pre¬ 
serves and cauniug, hut they must he used 
while yet quite hard, for if quite ripe a little 
boiling w ill turn them into mush. They will 
also be very useful in boiling apple-butter, if 
us*h1 instead of apples in boiling down the 
cider, as they are very sweet. 
If I were a young man. as 1 am uo longer, 
I would try the experiment of again crossing 
these hybrid pears with pollen of some of our 
best pears, as l believe a race of pears could 
as being the best of all pears is really too bad. 
Nurserymen who have the trees for sale, and 
those who have the fruit for sale, tell us it is 
the most profitable kind to grow ; that it sells 
for a higher price than any other, etc. 1 have 
had the “ Bba-li,“ or Chinese Band Pear, for 
about fifty years, off and on, having received 
my first tree from Wrn. R. Prince, of Flush¬ 
ing, Long Island, in the Spring of 1832. That 
tree soon came into hearing, and as it grew 
larger it produced immense crops every year. 
But one extra-cold Winter it was frozen dead. 
Fortunately I had given grafts to many of my 
friends, some of whom resided ou higher 
ground and others close to the river, aud their 
trees were uot injured, so I got grafts again. 
I at one time raised a lot of seedlings, and 1 
was surprised to see these seedlings grow up 
to a hight of four and five feet the first sea¬ 
son. Now, thinks I, these will make splendid 
stocks on which to work other varieties. I 
grafted a number of them, and the grafts 
took well, and for a year or two made a good 
growth, but ceased to grow and barely put 
out leaves afterwards, never coming to bear 
good fruit. 
Borne of those seedlings I left to show' fruit. 
Most ot them bore small, hard, green fruit of 
no value ; but one tree gave me a very large 
and fine-looking pear, very similar to the 
Kieffer. This tree bears heavy crops every 
berries, its tender and luscious flesh, its aroma 
and juiciness, just fills the mouth, gratifies 
the taste, and in its piquancy supplies a satis¬ 
fying want, surpassed only by the incompara¬ 
ble Muscat. 
Mr. Bull is now 1 in his old age, and has not 
reaped that reward which should have been 
given to one who has produced such an invalu¬ 
able addition to our fruits His was before 
the time of syndicates. ITis was the turbulent 
stream, not the overwhelming “Niagara,” 
The Concord is the grape. It* culture extends 
to the remotest parts of this great country. 
Everybody can raise it. Neither heat nor cold 
affects it; no mildewto blight; uo frost to kill 
it. I respectfully suggest that the growers 
who have reaped their thousands in its cul¬ 
ture, as well as the millions who have feasted 
on it, should unite in a solid testimonial to 
soothe the declining years of the veteran 
grape grower, whose vine is the parent, near 
or remote, of all the really valuable varieties 
yet produced, aud particularly of the magnifi¬ 
cent and equall,\#delicious Pocklington. 
THE COTTAGE GRAPE. 
This originated from seed of the Concord 
by the originator of the Concord, Mr. Bull. 
Our vine was sent to us four years ago by Mr. 
T. S. Hubbard, of Fredouia, N. Y. It fruited 
last year for the first. We picked our 
first ripe bunches this year. September 
2d, when Concords were just turning. 
The average hunch is shown by the en¬ 
graving drawn from nature. The ber- 
ies are as large as Concord, while the 
quality is better. The} have less pulp, 
while the flesh between the pulp and 
the skin which we have called “ fat,” 
is greater. Under the most favorable 
circumstances the Cottage bunch is not 
so large as the Concord. But as the 
berries hang to the stem well, aud as 
they did not ret the past season, while 
the Concords rotted badly, the aver¬ 
age bunch ripened more grapes than 
the Concord. The vine is vigorous, 
hardy and healthy. 
be thus produced superior to any we now 
have, especially if the healthy and thrifty ap¬ 
pearance and the profuse bearing qualities 
of the present hybrids can be retained. But 1 
must urge younger fruit growers or horticul¬ 
turists to test this matter. 
Though I have lost many pear trees from 
blight, growing in close proximity to some of 
these Chinese strangers, yet I never had a 
single tree of the Chinese or hybrids that 
showed the least symptom of blight on tree, 
limbs, or leaves. 
They say this Kieffer Pear sells for a higher 
price iu market than any other, which is prob¬ 
ably owing, at least in part, to its novelty 
and the great puffing it gets ; but I judge any 
person who tries to take one bite will never 
afterwards want to take another. 
Lancaster Co , Pa. J. b. garber. 
VARIABLENEBS IN THE FRUITS. 
So remarkable have been the changes in 
temperature during the post season, and so 
greatly has the amount of moisture in the at¬ 
mosphere differ© i from that of other seasons, 
that it has been a subject of remark among 
farmers, and especially among fruit-growers, 
as the different fruits reached their period of 
ripening. The experience of the Summer of 
1883, along the Hudson, tends to controvert 
the theory that soil and situation are main 
factoi* in the production of perfect fruit. 
Horticulturists have been giving too much 
credit to these, and not enough to atmospheric 
causes. 
Pears have been abundant in many parts of 
the country this year, and yet picked speci¬ 
mens (supposed to be the best) have not reached 
the degree of excellence ascribed to them, and 
really attained iu former years. So great has 
been the change in regard to quality in some 
heretofore leading varieties, that further 
planting of them will be unfitted such are the 
doubts as to future success in that line. It 
may be that another year will find our pear- 
planters in a different mood; but the outlook 
for any further planting is not very bright at 
present. 
Of peaches, the failure of all the early varie¬ 
ties in the Hudson River Valley can be as¬ 
cribed to but one cause, and that climatic. 
This is not the home of the peach, the tree it¬ 
self being too tender for the ordinary cold of 
the latitude. The wood freezes to death, and 
I venture to avow the theory that this, more 
than all other unfavorable combinations, is the 
cause of the disease called the yellows. All 
the first neighborhood peaches brought into 
the Newburgh markets show’ed the unmistaka¬ 
ble signs of yellows. The trees bravely essayed 
to obey the order of nature as far as possible 
in producing seed, but the covering of pulp, 
usually rich aud luscious, was flavorless, thiu 
and worthless. Next year the trees will be 
dead. The circulatory system was deranged 
by last Winter's freezing, ferment was pro¬ 
gressing through all the Bummer’s heat, and 
bacteria choked every pore and tissue of the 
tree 
The later varieties which have done bet¬ 
ter, vary greatly in quality aud are sel¬ 
dom true to name. But what shall we do { 
Continue the planting. “Wring out the old 
and put in the new,” That’s the best that can 
be done. One favorable year repays the ex¬ 
pense of several, and the ground mav mean¬ 
time be employed for other purposes. Let the 
planting go on. a. a. bensel. 
Newburgh, N. Y. 
PLANTING FOR PROFIT. 
A vast amount of waste is incurred by not 
kuowiug what fruit trees to plant. I know of 
a good many orchards unprofitable because 
the varieties of apples are mostly of early aud 
perishable sort?. A dozen apples pay and a 
good many dozens do not. With uie the profit 
comes from those that bear the most persist¬ 
ently on “off” or bad years; and these are 
Bp}*, Kirklands. Russets, and, in the main 
the late keepers. The Pound Sweet is an ex¬ 
ception in the other direction, for it is ou trees 
in opeu grounds so sure to give me a crop 
when most other apples fail, that I count it one 
of the most profitable varieties. This year, 
as ofteu jofore, the Belmont or Waxen is ou 
hand with a full crop. The Hubbardston 
Nonsuch is another on the reliable list. I am 
inclined also to count in the White Pippin, a 
truly noble apple. 
Of course, w-e plant our orchards partly for 
the purpose of home consumption and having 
consecutive apples for table and culinary 
purposes. But. even then there are few oi- 
chards that do not contain a good rnauy trees 
that are an essential waste. The requisites of 
a paying apple include regularity iu hearing; 
early and large crops; toughness of the w r ood; 
rapidity of grow th. and good color aud size 
of fruit. There are, however, varieties, like 
the Jonathans, of slow growth that pay enor¬ 
mously when well established. If 1 may veu- 
